Bahamas Bowl 2014: Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan Preview, Predictions

The college football world makes another venture into foreign territory as the inaugural, Bahamas Bowl welcomes Central Michigan and Western Kentucky to Nassau on Christmas Eve.

Central Michigan sported the MAC's top defense this season to finish 7-5.  Western Kentucky, also 7-5, comes into the bowl game with a big win already on its record: a November 28 overtime win against Marshall that all but ruined the Thundering Herd's shot at a "New Year's Six" bowl.

Here's what you need to know:

Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Time: Noon ET

Place: Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas

TV: ESPN

Line: Western Kentucky -1.5 according to OddsShark.com.

Tale of the Tape

Western Kentucky has the edge in almost every statistical category this season.

The one area that could be the equalizer for Central Michigan is turnovers.  Both teams are on the plus side of the turnover game this season, and takeaways in a bowl game can be the difference between upsets or cruises to victory.

Central Michigan Keys to Victory

USA TODAY Sports

Make It a Defensive Struggle

Central Michigan is the MAC's top defense this season, giving up 331.2 yards per game. The Chippewas only score 25.2 points per game, so every defensive drive will be important for CMU.

If the game gets away from them, the Chips might have a difficult time crawling back into it, so the defense has to step up big right from the opening kickoff.

Protect Cooper Rush

Sophomore quarterback Cooper Rush has been prone to bad passes when under pressure this season. He's thrown 12 interceptions to his 20 touchdowns despite completing nearly 64 percent of his passes. If the Chippewa offensive line can't keep him protected in the pocket, mistakes have typically been the result.

In a bowl game, that almost always spells defeat.

Western Kentucky Keys to Victory

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Momentum

Western Kentucky had one of its biggest wins in recent memory, knocking off then-No. 19 Marshall in overtime at Marshall on November 28.  While the loss didn't knock Marshall out of the race for the Conference USA title—which the Herd eventually won—it did mean there would be no "New Year's Six" bowl date for Marshall.  It was also WKU's first win against a Top 25 team since joining the FBS.

Play Like You Belong Here

This is just the second bowl game in WKU's short FBS history, and the first one in 2012 was a loss at the hands of—guess who—Central Michigan.  The Hilltoppers have been viewed as the "new kids" even in their own conference.  Losing to a MAC school in a bowl game won't help counter that impression.  

What better way to announce WKU's arrival than a revenge win over the Chippewas in a bowl game on national television, with some solid fan support in the stands?

Central Michgian Players to Watch

USA TODAY Sports

Thomas Rawls

The team's leading rusher, Rawls has 1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, carrying the load for an offense that's essentially pretty mediocre. Central Michigan has relied on its defense for the bulk of its wins this season, so any positive offensive output—especially on the ground, which would give the defense time to catch its breath—will be a major positive.

Blake Serpa

Serpa leads CMU and is sixth in the MAC with 11.5 tackles for loss this season. His four sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble also make this junior end a force for the top defense in the MAC.

Titus Davis

Despite not having stellar numbers offensively, Central Michigan does have a playmaker in wideout Titus Davis. His nine receiving touchdowns are second in the conference—despite his missing three games back in September with a knee injury. When Davis is healthy, in the lineup and producing, the Chips are 6-3 this season.

Western Kentucky Players to Watch

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Brandon Doughty

Doughty led Conference USA with 362.0 passing yards per game this season (second in the FBS), and his 44 passing touchdowns was the most of any quarterback in the nation.  Doughty completed 67.5 percent of his passes and threw just 10 interceptions—or less than one for every four touchdowns.  

To put it simply, there's no other player on either roster in this game who will play a bigger role in his team's win or loss.

Jared Dangerfield

Doughty has to throw all of those touchdowns to someone, and Dangerfield has hauled in 10 of them so far.  His 738 receiving yards is just one shy of the team lead (Taywan Taylor has 739), and Dangerfield has been the top target for Doughty this season.  If Doughty and Dangerfield can find a way to hook up in the midst of a pretty solid Central Michigan defense, it could be a big day for lovers of the pass.

Branden Leston

With five interceptions this season, Leston is the unquestioned leader of his team's secondary.  While he does attack the ball with an almost reckless aggression, he has been able to make some spectacular highlight-reel plays that completely shift the game's momentum.  Central Michigan would do well to throw the ball away from him on Christmas Eve.

What They’re Saying

Central Michigan put together a video for the players and staff to announce the bowl in which the Chippewas would play.  Clearly, the guys at CMU are excited about the trip to Nassau.

Dan Enos, head coach at Central Michigan, was similarly excited about the opportunity for his players, via MLive.com:

"

I want to thank the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl for the invitation to be a part of its inaugural game.  Playing in our sixth bowl game in the past nine seasons is a great accomplishment for this program. WKU is a great team, and I expect a hard fought game when we face off on December 24.

"

The importance of the bowl invite to the program wasn't lost on Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm when speaking to the media:

"

It is a tremendous reward and opportunity for our players and coaches who have worked incredibly hard this season.  A bowl game is one of our goals at the beginning of every season, and to be able to realize and achieve that goal is a credit to their attiitude and willingness to put in the effort to get better each and every week.  We look forward to getting back to pactice and preparing for our second bowl game in school history.

"

Prediction

BRADLEY LEEB/Associated Press

Central Michigan does have some playmakers on defense, and the Chips come into this game sporting the best total defense in the MAC.  But being the best in the MAC is a little like being the warmest day in January in Mount Pleasant—it's still pretty darn cold.

Western Kentucky just has too many weapons on offense this time around, and if the Hilltoppers could get past a team like Marshall with everything the Herd had at their disposal, WKU should be able to get past CMU.

Prediction: Western Kentucky 35, Central Michigan 24